1970s
1970s
70 Autumn Notes
Ken Buser moved to South Bend and welcomes visitors. Cat and Paul Partyka attended Palm Sunday Mass 50 yards from Pope Francis. They met the same Vatican seminarian who guided Kia and Mike McCoy to meet the pope a few weeks before Kia passed away. Sally and Bill Hasbrook wintered in Siesta Key FL, hosting their children and families. En route south, the Hasbrooks saw Dan Palmer and visited residents with Prisoners of Christ in Jacksonville. Dan fondly recalls rooming at Walsh with Gene Rudnick (practicing optometry in Chattanooga), Dick Noser and Wirt Cook. David Porter’s first novel is titled In the Shade of the Mango Tree: Oil, Politics, and Murder in the Congo. He saw Paul’s friend, a former Navy commander, at a Virginia watering hole. Dave retired after 40 years of Navy military and corporate flying. He and wife, Hartley, volunteer actively, especially for the Charleston SC Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States. Hartley is host chair for their annual October Congress in Charleston. Rep. Mike (George) Kelly (R-PA) helped lead questioning of the IRS’ targeting of not-for-profit organizations. Peter Neeson, partner in Rawle & Henderson’s Philadelphia office and past treasurer of the National Judicial College, joins the board in June. The 50-year-old college, located at U Nevada, Reno, is the nation’s leading judicial educator. It presents 90 annual courses, training over 3,000 judges from the U.S., territories and 150 countries. Peter specializes in class actions, including formaldehyde, sick building, underground storage tanks, silica, asbestos and Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) superfund cases. Condolences to Steve Strachota, whose father died at age 93. Patrick Bridenstine died July 7, 2012, in Farmington MI. David Flitsch ’70MS and Sister Rosemary McCabe ’70 MA passed away. My good friend and fellow former ND Club president Michael E. Smith ’66 died June 23 in Tampa. Many classmates enjoyed his home tailgates. Wife Nancy SMC and children Kelly ’96, Ryan ’98, Katie SMC and Michael survive. In February I skied Keystone with Greg Sullivan, who was heading to educate West African governments about sustainable agriculture. I attended April’s Alumni Associate Leadership Conference for class officers and Alumni Senators, who represent 132,000 living alumni. The Shirt unveiling featured Ned Bolcar and Joe Farrell of the 1988 team. Keynoter Carolyn Woo, former dean of Mendoza College of Business, is now CEO of Catholic Relief Services. Check out the spectacular Morris Inn, which reopened this season. Coach Gerry Faust regaled us with leadership tales. Jimmy O’Connell reported stable mortality among homeless Boston adults, with HIV under good control since 1998, although the rising death rate from drug overdoses left the overall mortality rate unchanged. Dick Reynolds played interhall basketball at The Rock and the Fieldhouse, attended Father John A. O’Brien’s Saturday morning Mass and participated in Father Burtchaell’s freshman retreat. Reynolds Management Services in Wisconsin provides systems engineering consultations for health organizations. He and Barb celebrate their 32nd anniversary in November. Remember: Michigan State minireunion Sept. 21. — Donald R. Graham MD; 1901 Glenwood, Springfield IL 62704; 800-444-7541; 217-652-1560; infectn@springfieldclinic.com
70MBA Class Secretary — John Carroll;
3922 Brintons ML, Marietta GA 30062; bus 678-218-5204; res 770-973-4588; john.raymond.carroll.1970@alumni.nd.edu
70JD Blessed with Grandkids
Marie and I recently welcomed our ninth grandchild: Zachary Joseph Plumb. When we count our blessings these days, grandkids are on the top of the list. D. Joseph Potvin died in February in his hometown of Houston TX. You may recall that Joe was a Double Domer, having completed his undergraduate work at ND in 1967. He was counsel for General Motors and Exxon and thereafter with Pillsbury Winthrop. Known for his interest in photography and woodworking, Joe was also a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. He is survived by his wife, Bernice, and children Joe, Marie, Deborah, Sarah and Hannah, and five grandchildren. Remember Joe in your prayers and join me in extending our condolences to Joe’s family. I look forward to hearing from all of you. Meanwhile, enjoy autumn and Go Irish. — John K. Plumb; 19 Crowley St., Randolph NY 14772; jkplumb@netsync.net
71 Our 42nd Anniversary
The annual Hinga-Kelly Memorial Golf Tournament was held over Memorial Day weekend in Angola IN in memory of Jim Hinga and Tim Kelly. In attendance were Mike Morrison, Collis Jones, Tom Eaton, Jim Wright, Ed Grenda, Bob Neidert, Tim DiPiero, Gary Kos and Bill Barz. It has become a time-tested gathering to play golf, enjoy adult beverages, retell bad stories and tolerate Eaton’s post-golf elk burgers. Since its inception, a good number of classmates have participated; check your calendar for next year to see if you will be in the area. Betty and I had a chance to catch up with Melinda and Mike Meyers over dinner. Melinda is retired but Mike continues to toil in the marketing world with his Chicago firm of Meyers and Partners. They are celebrating their 40th anniversary with a trip to Scotland. Mike Poore, Chantilly VA and retired USAF, continues to work in the aero field as a civilian, currently on the F-35 Lightning II fighter plane project. He also practices his grandfatherly skills with three grandkids in Omaha and one in Seattle. Larry Overlan was on campus this summer, checking out the old haunts: Jay’s, Linebacker, Studebaker Museum et al. It’s his humble opinion that Jay’s in Niles is no longer just a Sunday night destination but the real deal, authentic, good food, and now Keno to boot. Home is Canton MA outside of Boston, and he’s teaching business and government courses part time at city colleges around town. Ed Beck of Burke VA passed away in April. He was an attorney and retired from the law department of Exxon Mobil. He was the past president of the Virginia State Bar’s Corporate Council Section and had been a volunteer fireman. Ed is survived by his wife, Esther, and their two daughters. David Dolan of Green Bay passed away in June. David had multiple engineering degrees, spent a career studying the Great Lakes and the quality of their waters. He was a full professor at the U of Wisconsin Green Bay. David is survived by his wife, Mary, and their two sons. Condolences to Vince Carr on the loss of his mother. In June Prof. John Gaski attended his 40th consecutive ND reunion in one capacity or another, as a grad, a speaker, a faculty member or a general all around hanger on. It may not qualify for the Guinness book of records, but he figures somebody has to be in charge of quality control at the beer tents. Laura and Dan Donohue, Sioux Falls, were in town to welcome the arrival of their newest grandchild. Dan practices law with a specialty in estate taxation and South Dakota trust companies. Margaret and Larry Scanlon welcomed their third grandchild. Larry is retired from the full-time political fundraising world, but does some consulting on the side. Keep Sue and George Kresovich, Seattle, in your thoughts and prayers. In early July George fainted at work and was hospitalized with a brain aneurysm. He has a long road to travel through acute rehab and other steps before his recovery is complete, but the retired Marine knows a few things about discipline. The Class of ’71 flag will again fly in the Stadium lot this fall. Look for the tailgate, brats, beer and friends. — John Snider; 2010 N. Fremont Chicago IL 60614; res 773-871-5358; fax 773-871-1189; jlsnd71@sbcglobal.net
71MBA Time Marches On
Efrain Pelaez sends his regards from the Philippines and indicated he has not heard from anyone in several years. His email contact is etpelaezjr@yahoo.com, and he encourages classmates to communicate. Efrain said he still gets to the West Coast to see his daughter, who works for Bloomberg. Todd Helmeke was recently back in the States from his latest work assignment in Kabul. Todd said he may take additional overseas assignments but only if something interesting comes along. He continues to reside in Sun Valley. I saw Peggy and Rich Sosin while I was in New York City with two of my grandchildren. We had dinner at a great local place and shared many recollections of our days at ND. I was in NYC for a few days as a result of my ongoing commitment to take our grandkids to a place of their choosing when they turn 13. What a kick in NYC with two 13-year-old granddaughters. I have now taken six grandkids on such “Papa” trips with five more to go. Rod Spear continues to enjoy his retirement and his lovely home on the river near South Bend. He constantly reminds me to tell the class his home is open to visitors, especially around ND football Saturdays. We hope to see Jim Fackelman and Robbie when they periodically come to Colorado Springs to see their daughter and family. Stay in touch. If you are one of the classmates who has not communicated in a while, please take a few minutes to let me know how you are doing. Thanks so much. — Tony Strati; 315 Big Horn Ridge Road NE, Albuquerque NM 87122; res 505-798-1564; cell 505-205-3563; tstrati42@gmail.com
71JD Class Secretary — E. Bryan Dunigan;
221 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1454, Chicago IL 6060; 312-857-2114; bdunigan@duniganlaw.com
72 Class Secretary — Frank Fahey;
274 Winthrop Ave., Elmhurst IL 60126; res 630-834-8072, bus 312-504-3409; fjfahey@gmail.com
72MBA Real News, at Last
It was great to hear from two classmates, Ed Gay and Ed Schaffler, especially since I also have some sad news to relate. The Alumni Office notified me that Matt Minnicks passed away last October. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Matt’s family. The happier news: Ed Gay recently touched base with some friends from his undergrad days at Fordham, which prompted memories of his classmates at ND. He reconnected with Bob McBride not long ago. I have Ed’s contact information if anyone would like to get in touch with him. He mentioned that he has lived and worked in Oregon for 32 years, has two grown children, several grandchildren, and is doing well. Ed Schaffler retired at the end of last year as president and CEO of The Catholic Foundation in Dallas. He spent the first 25 years after we graduated in the for-profit sector, mainly in entrepreneurial environments. He recalled that he didn’t particularly enjoy Dr. Dow’s planning classes but that were beneficial in those for profit endeavors as well as later in the not-for-profit sector. Ed and his wife enjoy retirement, which started with a trip to the BCS championship game in Miami. Be well all. — Alex McLellan; 8212 W. 88th St., Overland Park KS 66212-2903; res 913-652-9909; irish72mba@excite.com
72JD Class Secretary — Chris Schraff;
1881 Marble Cliff Crossing Ct., Columbus OH 43204; 614-227-2097; cschraff@porterwright.com
73 Golf in Joliet
I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of golf in early August with Jim Shanahan, Bob Ward, Mike McCurdy and Jim Roolf at the Joliet Country Club. The camaraderie and the needling were as nice as the weather and better than the golf games. Mike, married to Jane McCurdy ‘73, elected to spend the bulk of his day with us even though it was his 40th wedding anniversary. They reported that president Jim Hunt had just sold another company for an undisclosed amount. Thanks to Ann Therese Palmer for locating Andy Gore. He is still in Western Springs IL working for Caremark’s legal department. I hope you are doing well, Andy. A.T. also found Debby Lavin. Deb lives in suburban St. Louis with her husband, Joe White ‘71. Frank Kuserk has informed me that he has just been appointed the Louise E. Juley Professor of Biological Sciences at Moravian College (Bethlehem PA) where he has been teaching since 1977. He also serves as the founding director of Morovian’s Environmental Studies & Sciences program. Chris Mecca wrote in from Grant’s Pass OR. He was unable to make the 40th reunion because he and his wife had planned a trip to Yellowstone Park and other locations. I am saddened to report of the death of Joseph F. Anderson. We had a great 40th reunion. More news will follow in the next issue. Thanks to Pamela King for sending me a copy of the class picture. Please keep the emails and letters coming. — Michael W. Hansen; 735 Essington Road, Joliet IL 60435; fax 815-744-4515; mikehansen@mikehansenlaw.com
73MBA More Reunion Info to Share
Bill Bartles writes, “Wishing all my fellow classmates the very best, and may you continue to represent Our Lady with the dignity and class you have demonstrated over the years.” Slim Chandra-Shekar says, “Wishing everyone all the very best that life offers. Many blessings to you and a silent prayer to those who have left us.” Vince George writes, “I retired at the end of last year after a career working mostly in the financial end of commercial real estate. My last five years were spent working on business in Europe and included an 18-month stint living in Paris. My wife and I have sold our house, and downsized into a one-bedroom apartment and a lake house. The apartment is in Dallas, and the lake house is near Athens TX, about 90 minutes southeast of Dallas. Our daughter is in Utah and our son lives in Chicago. We plan on taking a four-to-five-week trip to Australia later this year and begin enjoying our golden years. We love to travel, and count 74 counties we’ve visited between us.” John Hoffman reports, “My wife, Susan, is now two years cancer free after having had a mastectomy in January 2011. It has been a long journey, but the doctors are encouraging optimism and she is strong — and prayer has definitely helped too. Susan and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with a lengthy June trip to Ireland. Great sights, great beer, great fun, did I say great beer? (Irish whiskey was not bad either.) We spent several days with Sharon and Bill Bartles last month. Keep them in your prayers; Bill has some surgery coming up.” John Erwin writes, “I live in Westerville OH and have been here for 39 years. Westerville is a Columbus suburb. My wife, Kellie, and I have two children, Patrick and Mary. Patrick is a civil engineer who works for the Army Corps in New Orleans, and Mary is majoring in nursing at Xavier U in Cincinnati. After leaving ND, I worked in public accounting with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Columbus and then got into the oil and gas exploration business with two different companies in Ohio, the last one for 20 years. I was the CFO when it was sold. The buyer relocated the Columbus office so I left and I got back into the job market in 2004 and was hired as treasurer for the Pontifical College Josephinum, a Roman Catholic Seminary in Columbus. The seminary is 125 years old and is the only pontifical seminary outside Italy. I have been there for about nine years and it is a very rewarding experience spiritually.” Gus Browne writes, “We did get to Niagara Falls for a few days during May; it was a good time. We have been enjoying the Blackhawks winning the Lord Stanley Cup. Diana has the good fortune to host her clients in her bank’s box at United Center so we got to enjoy watching the Hawks during the semi-finals live.” Chuck Arentowicz says, “Our trip with three other couples is starting with a tour of Rome and a week at a villa, chef included, on the island of Sardinia with day trips to the island of Corsica. Our trip ends in Milan with a viewing of the Last Supper. We saw the Irish season start in Dublin, including a tour of Ireland. Returning to the US, we caught the second victory over Purdue, attended the Miami game in Chicago as well as the Stanford game. We also had a great time in Norman especially with the victory over the Sooners. Our daughter, Amy, who is the general counsel for Hudson Yards, was able to obtain suite tickets to the Championship Game in Miami. Our family had a great time except for the game result.” Will Jones writes, “I am just back from a four-day backpacking adventure with my youngest son in the Silver Peaks Wilderness between San Simeon and Big Sur CA. I had a real adventure but also contracted a bad case of poison oak. We had pretty spectacular vistas of the Pacific but would have preferred to have left the PO in California. I am getting a little old for tent camping and reminds me more and more of my military days.” You are always welcome to contact us when in Southern California. — Thomas Jindra; 7179 Alviso Ave., Riverside CA 92509, res and fax 951-685-2091 tajindra@charter.net: tajindra@charter.net
73JD Class Secretary — Anthony J. Palumbo;
602-943-9367; ajpphxaz@aol.com
74 Class Is a Fine-tuned Engine
Please bring your fine-tuned engine to our Class Reunion May 29-June 1, 2014. Our class is well-represented on the Senior Alumni Board of the Alumni Association, with regional directors age 55 and older. Nancy Schoeneman Kopp represents a western region, while Tom Hansen (with whom I sit on the board of the ND Club of Chicago) does a fine job for Chicago and surrounding area. In July Jack Leicht, president and CEO of Edward George & Associates, LLC., became the chair of the NDSA Board. Jack intends to raise the NDAS’s visibility and encourages all to go to ndsa.undgroup.org and get involved. If you have questions contact him at JLeicht@egallc.net. His youngest son and senior captain won the 2013 Bengal Bouts in the 162-pound division. I was pleased so many of you responded to my note about the Al Sondej Memorial Fund. There is now an opportunity to make this an annual fundraiser during a football weekend and to enlist students to assist. Terrance Rodgers is moving this effort forward and class vp Chris (Hawk) Stevens has donated $1,000 to get the fund off to a great start. If you with to help or contribute, contact Terrance Rogers at tcrogers@aol.com or our class president, Jerry Samaniego, at jsamaniego@cmsd.com. Richard Nussbaum II recently concluded his presidency of the Monogram Club, where he served with Chris Stevens. Dick and his wife, Mary Pat ’75SMC, are proud grandparents, and their son Danny is on the development staff at Notre Dame. Dick invites all to visit the exhibit at Heritage Hall in the Joyce Center that honors women’s athletics. Dick also was complimentary of an article featuring some of us in the June 2013 Business School Magazine about the beginnings of co-education. Hal Schulz recently retired and moved to Granbury TX to be closer to his eldest son and future grandson. Hal says retirement has meant working with contractors as he builds their new home and being his wife’s “gofer and chauffeur.” Hal (halark44@gmail.com) insists his fellow chemical engineering classmates come in droves for our 2014 reunion. Paul Unger mentions that Mark Graham, Vince Burke, Mark Pencak, Kurt Bottjer, Ray Funk, Mike McQuestion, Jim Fisher, Steve Podgorski and himself, together with their spouses and friends, gathered in New Orleans in May for Jazzfest — and that “hot chili is (still) groovy.” The 30th Pog-Mo-Thon was gloriously held again in Destin FL. Jim (Whales) Whalen, chief Pog-Mo-Thon correspondent, recalled great food, golf, beach, stories and jokes that have been repeated zillions of times but always make everyone laugh. However, Greg (Big Load) Szatko was a late scratch as he attended the Blue-Gold Game and Ara’s 90th birthday party, and Charlie Morrison was also a late scratch, as he was flying for Notre Dame, and Bob (Meatball) Cimino, Todd (the Bod) Bender and Tom (Scribbers) Jenkins were unable to attend. All is well in my world. I am blessed with an adorable grandson, another on the way, three children who have found love with their spouses and fiancé and tremendous career success. Resysta, the rice-hull building product I manage and sell in the Midwest, has been successful as PF Chang, Starbucks and other commercial architects now use it, and I’ve been elected to the Professional Women’s Builders Association Board. Nothing is better that wearing high heels and telling those general contractors to put those boards 16-inch on center. Keep emailing me on your life’s journey. — Dede Lohle Simon; domerdede@aol.com
74MBA Class Secretary — William Arland III;
505-954-3921; bill@sybercafe.org
74JD Class Secretary — Christopher A. Kule;
570-290-5424; ckule@emergercounsel.com
75 Domers at 60
Many classmates are celebrating their 60th birthdays in style. Five former Flannerites are going to visit Montecito CA in September. Pat Lally, Howard Stierwalt, Walt Barry, Art Gilloon and Pat McLaughlin will do some sailing, fine dining, touring and California dreamin’ as they approach those golden years. Lynn (Larkin) and Frank Flanagan, who live near San Diego, hosted Suzanne Hardie LeBeuf, Jude Bremmer Langhurst and their husbands for a week last summer to enjoy paradise and celebrate birthdays. Lynn is also observing a happy milestone as a 17-year survivor of breast cancer. Norm Bower and J*ack Malone* celebrated their six decades on the planet over dinner in Columbus OH on Aug. 1. Jack’s daughter, Mary Kate Malone ’06, married Michael Martin ’12MBA in Columbus on July 5. More than 50 Domers were on hand to serenade the happy couple with the Victory March. Rich Reynolds reports his daughter Ryan Reynolds ’09 married classmate Erik Condra ’09 last summer. Rich’s youngest child, Christopher, will enroll in the class of 2017. Rich accepted a position in the Development Office and hopes to see many classmates over football weekends. Scott Sandrock of Akron reports that his twin granddaughters, Emma and Aubrey, celebrated their first birthdays on March 30. He is a trustee for the Canton OH Rocco Foundation, which provides financial help for area Catholic high school grads to attend ND. He hopes ND’s costs will slow down for his family, and everyone else. Please remember two deceased classmates in your prayers: John Rudeen and William Reardon Jr. Our sympathy to their family and friends. Please remember to send me news before the Nov. 1 deadline. Thanks. — Norm Bower, 3946 Fernwood Ave., Davenport IA 52807; res 563-355-7738; cell: 563-349-0469; normbower@mchsi.com: normbower@mchsi.com
75MBA Class Secretary — Jim Ouimet;
215-862-3080; jimouimet@comcast.net
75JD One of the Best
I believe most of us remember our first days at Notre Dame Law School. Dean Tom Shaffer gathered us together. He knew we were all scared, and he was going to do something about it. The dean had each of us introduce ourselves to one other student. Then each pair introduced one another to another pair. We all had three new friends. My three friends were Chris Guidroz from Louisiana, Arturo Estrada from El Paso and Dave Fahey from Fort Madison IA. We were friends all through law school and stayed friends ever since. I was saddened to learn that Dave Fahey died last year while visiting Paris with his wife of 41 years, Connie. Dave was a pleasant and thoughtful fellow. He spent 31 years on the bench of the Iowa District Court in Fort Madison. He was a Scoutmaster, coached high school speech and volunteered at the animal shelter. The last time we talked he noted how rare jury trials were becoming and said he was continuing as a senior judge because he enjoyed his job so much. Dave will be missed. An interesting book titled Law by Robert Hockett, a Cornell law professor, has been published in the Little Books of Big Ideas series. He discusses many topics, including the giants of jurisprudence: Cicero, Aquinas, Bentham, Grotius, Austin, Holmes, Weber and Kelsen. He then focuses on the great pillars of 20th century jurisprudence: H.L.A. Hart of Oxford, Lon Fuller and John Rawls of Harvard, Ronald Dworkin of Oxford and New York universities, Joseph Raz of Oxford and Hebrew universities, and John Finnis of Oxford and the Notre Dame Law School, where he is the Bolcioni Professor. These rankings reflect the academic consensus. Only Finnis and Raz are still alive. Notre Dame is consistently ranked in the top 20 among America’s universities, and its undergraduate business school is the best in the country. Why isn’t Notre Dame recognized as a top 10 law school? Surely, being the home of the greatest living American authority on jurisprudence must establish Notre Dame as one of the best law schools in the country. Write to me and give me your opinion, please. — Dennis Owens; 7th Floor Harzfeld’s Building, 1111 Main St., Kansas City MO 64105, owensappeal@aol.com
76 Celebrations
A group of Farley women reunited in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate the wedding of the daughter of Denise (Crowley) and Dave Brenner ’73. Dr. Marie Brenner ’08 married Dr. Jason Somogyi. The bride and her mother were beautiful. The bride’s Notre Dame pedigree was apparent as she was surrounded by her Domer siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins including Donna (Crowley) and Jack Campbell, Nancy (Brenner) and Joe Sinnott, Rene ’79SMC and DJ Crowley ’78, Dave Brenner ’05, Cindy Brenner ’09, Carrie Campbell ’05, Julie Campbell ’08, Dennis Crowley ’11 and Anne Crowley ’13. Joining in the celebration at the historic Blackstone Hotel were Maryanne (Ries) Rogers, Shelley (Muller) Simon, Mary Anne (Kennedy) Reilly with husband Ross Roeder, the Honorable Mary Kay Rochford and husband Mike Demetrio, Betsy (Kall) and Pete Brosnan and Mimi (Philbin) and Dave Carlson. Nancy and Joe Sinnott live in Mishawaka where Joe is a psychologist for the Mishawaka and Penn-Harris-Madison schools. Nancy is the director of development for the Michiana YMCA. Their son Chris Sinnott ’02 is married to Lisa Corbitt Sinnott ’03 and lives in San Marcos CA; he is a professor of technical theater for Palomar College. Their son, Mark, 6, is Joe and Nancy’s only grandchild. Their other son, Nick, graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology and earned an MFA from the American Film Institute in LA. He does special effects for movies and TV and was recently nominated for an Emmy for the pilot of Banshee. Joe was recently featured in an article in the South Bend Tribune that focused on his collection of 1,500 neckties. Nancy weaves and does art shows and they are faithful fans of the ND women’s basketball team. Dan Adler reported that Dennis Kelly stopped in New Lenox on his way from Elkhart to St. Louis. He is very busy with Catholic radio nationwide hoping for a new outlet in Hawaii. He still drives the Kellymobile. Mark Arminio has relocated to Memphis. Pat Sarb’s son, Pat Jr., is a graduate of Northwestern’s theatre program and is appearing in two television commercials. He recently sang a beautiful rendition of Notre Dame Our Mother at the funeral of Pat’s father who graduated from Notre Dame in 1949. Jeanine Sterling who serves on the national ND Women Connect steering committee was instrumental in the production of the tribute to coeducation video. You can see it at youtube/e5WSc_T8xew. The Class of 1976 awarded its third scholarship to Christiana M. Stephan, daughter of Roderick Stephan. Christiana recently completed her freshman year. We also provided exam snacks to legacy children in the fall and to the graduating seniors in the spring. We also sent care packages to several classmates who are handling some significant health challenges. These efforts are funded by the proceeds of football ticket sales, so continue to support our class efforts by purchasing tickets from our class block. In addition you can support the scholarship fund by earmarking part of your annual donation to the Class of ’76. Please continue to send me your news and updates and to check out the Class website and Facebook page. — Mary Anne Kennedy Reilly; 7423 18th St. NE, Saint Petersburg FL 33702; 727-480-1251; mareilly@rfs-pa.com
76MBA How about Some News
There is no news to report. Drop me an email. Football has started and, God willing, we will win the game that counts. Blessings to you and your loved ones. — Mike Norris; cell 248-330-5366; norris1021@comcast.net
76JD Memories to Share
When country music legend George Jones passed away this past spring, I was reminded by Stephanie Mahon, now in New York in corporate litigation, that Bill Kemp, now an in-house counsel for GM, would sing along every time Tammy Wynette’s Stand by Your Man played on the radio. And they insisted that I tell about the time a Texas buddy and I built a country and western club in Los Angeles called The Lone Star Saloon & Steakhouse. We booked major country talent, among them George Jones. On the night of the show, a couple bellied up to the bar and announced, “We’ve come all the way from Las Vegas. This is our third effort to see George in concert. We sure hope he shows this time.” Well, he did show and he was magnificent. It was even more special because it was a few days after he won a Grammy for He Stopped Loving Her Today. Contrary to the lyrics, old George probably never stopped loving Tammy. RIP, George. — Virgil L. Roth; 625 Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 255, South Pasadena CA 91030; 626-441-1178; fax 626- 441-1166
77 Celebrating Life’s Milestones
Jody Gormley, DPM, a podiatric physician, was elected president of the Washington State Podiatric Medical Association in April for a two-year term. Jody writes, " Mary Spalding Burns, Carol Latronica, Beth Corbin Murphy, Mary Fitzsimons MD and I are the members of ’77 who are training for the Head of the Charles senior women’s division crew race. We are meeting in South Bend the weekend of the Temple game for the ND Rowing Club Alumni Row and will be doing two-a-day practices for four days.” Last May Maureen O’Neill helped her uncle, Father Theodore Hesburgh, CSC, president emeritus, celebrate his 96th birthday. Events were held at the Capitol in Washington with members of Congress, including classmate Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind). On campus, Cindy and Mike Parseghian MD were among those celebrating Coach Ara Parseghian’s 90th birthday at the party given by University officials. John and Jan Reedy Thornton were proud to watch daughter Kelsey ’13, women’s softball co-captain, graduate in May, while Keiren Donovan MD is delighted to see her middle daughter Laura Grace ’17 attend ND this fall. Dr. Bill Argus enjoyed being back on campus for an ACES retreat with his son this summer. Class President Rob Tully and our first Class Secretary Carol Simmons attended a Napa Valley wedding; we hear the wine was Wedding-at-Cana quality. Michael Grady organized a 50-member alumni band that will wake up the echoes playing at the Stanford game. After a 30-year career, split between the New York and Long Island building trades, working in labor relations, and as a Catholic high school teacher, coach and athletic director, Sarah and James (Abby) Abbatiello have moved to Indiana. They have a daughter Jasmin ’06SMC. James played on the baseball team at Notre Dame. Paul C. Mestrich announced his move to Vancouver WA. Joe Bury heard the wonderful news of being cancer-free following robotics surgery for prostate cancer last Father’s Day, and would like to spread the word about this minimally invasive technique to others. In July, the Pittsburgh Brewing Company named Brian Walsh as its new CEO, following a long and highly successful career in the beer and beverage industry. Brian was also captain of the ND hockey team and elected to the NCAA All-America Hockey Squad. Gene Gorman organized an August Memorial Golf Tournament for the Richard Spangler MD Scholarship Fund. Daniel Towle MD and Larry Merington formed the Thomas Segerson Foundation to fund a PhD research fellowship and global health lecture series, through the Eck Institute of Global Health; see thomsergersonfoundation.org. Editor Dave Heskin would like to send you The Golden Domer newsletter of Notre Dame Senior Alumni. Please email him at daheskin@verizon.net: daheskin@verizon.net. — Virginia (Ginger) McGowan Bishop; 2594 Woodland Drive, Northbrook IL, 60062; res 847-291-7510; Classof1977@alumni.nd.edu
77MBA Class Secretary — Alan J. Fisher;
77JD Class Secretary — Janey Bennett*;
4100 Edison Lakes Parkway, Mishawaka IN 46545; res 574-287-9251; bus 574-243-4100; jbennett@maylorber.com
78 Fall in Philadelphia
We are still aglow from the magic if our 35th reunion. Bill “Beefsteak” Reifsteck wrote that the highlight for him was our Class Mass He enjoyed my cell phone ringing the fight song just when Father Ed said “Let us pray.” Thanks to Father Ed Shea, OFM, for celebrating, and to our readers and musicians and singers. It was nice, as always, to spend some time in conversation with Mike Conaty at reunion. Mike and wife Ann Marie enrolled their identical twin daughters, Clare and Kathleen, as freshmen. Vicki Lopez Lukis is a government and public affairs consultant in Florida. This year she helped secure funding for the education of youth in the juvenile justice system. Jay Clubb, a real estate attorney, lives with his wife, Nona, and two sons in Ocean City MD. Mary Lou Mulvihill Skalkos reported that Linda Kraus Zak, her roomie for four years in Walsh, made our 35th her first reunion return. She is a neonatologist in Minot ND with two children. Friends from Stanford Hall included Tom De Stefani, a pediatrician in Glen Ellyn IL, Frank Dwyer, from Florida and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Ron Darin, CFO of an engineering firm in Chicago and avid supporter and board member of Operation Support Our Troops. Other Walsh girls sharing great stories were Lorraine Ehrline Sedlacek of Mahwah NJ, Liz Naquin Borger and Molly Murtagh. Liz is senior VP for investments with Stifel, the Elkhart group. Stacy Weaver Robinson said she attended the Washington Redskins training camp in Richmond VA, along with other former Washington Redskins cheerleaders. Following an afternoon at training camp, they attended a reception at the Governor’s Mansion. The wife of Gov. Bob McDonnell ’76 is a former Washington Redskins cheerleader. Most of you know about the passing of our classmate, Ted Burgmeier. After two successful battles against Hodgkin’s disease, the many years of chemo and radiation therapy were too hard on the rest of his body and he passed peacefully, with his family at his side on July 7. Ted leaves quite the legacy as an athlete, businessman, brother, father, grandfather and husband. He leaves his wife of 36 years, Julie, as well as four children and nine grandchildren. ND was represented by his Sorin roommate, Chuck Patton ’77, as well as teammates Tom Domin, Doug Becker and Kris Haines ’79. An Irish wake is planned for Ted at our tailgate in the stadium lot for the Oklahoma game. Any and all are invited. On a more pleasant note, we were able to spend some time this summer with the Cheryl and Pat Kennedy family in Indianapolis. Having lost our home on Long Beach Island NJ to Superstorm Sandy, and with nowhere to go Memorial Day weekend, a group of us from Jersey headed out to Indianapolis to take in the Indy 500. This was Pat’s 51st consecutive year attending the race. The Jersey guys, which included my sons Tim ’06, Kerry ’08 and Dan ’10 as well as Jesse Brawher ’08 and “designated” alum George Dowling, were treated like royalty by Pat and Cheryl. Don “Dancing Bear” Smail is helping to organize the Stanford game events in the Bay Area again this November. Classmates are invited to contact him for a list of ND’78 events, or check ndawaygames.com. Continuing his ministry as an urban missionary, Bishop Craig Davis has been designated as chaplain for EQUBED, an Anglican social justice mission seeking to assist persons laboring under socio-economic disadvantages in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. In August, Mary Anne Pleasants Lowndes, Judy Rupprecht Kapernaros, Ann Marie Cohen Wallace and Jinny Porcari Keough met for a fun-filled Chicago weekend. Norma Reyes ’78, ’81JD died of a stroke in May. She served in Mayor Daley’s cabinet for eight years. Brian O’Leary was married in May in Chattanooga TN to Tracye Pool, a native of Houston TX, who is a senior lecturer in English at the U of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he continues as department head in psychology. Sheryl (Daigle) and Greg Switaj hosted a beautiful wedding of their son Paul Switaj ’07 to Erin Zink in Fort Lauderdale, in June. The Badin girls proudly showed up in full force: Diane (Galdikas) Gulyas, Diane (Halliwell) Byers, Danielle (Panozzo) Clarke, Lynne (Savard) Glennon and Karen Kuenster. John Coyne, Jimmy Dunne, Jimmy Martin, Stan Ziehrel and Rich Riley held a “Last Man Standing” ceremony at their annual get together in the Hamptons in August. Please remember in your prayers Don Mulvihill, Ted Burgmeier, Norma Reyes, the father of Jim Gajewski, and the mother of Greg “Otto” Principato, who have passed away, and ask God to comfort their families. — Jim “Souls” Coyne; 12 DeForest Road Gladstone Manor, Lansdowne PA 19050; 267-847-8808; jcoyne@cohs.com: jcoyne@cohs.com
78MBA On the Move Again
Just as I had settled into my position with the Maine State Library, an offer came along that I couldn’t refuse. I am now the director of the Auburn Public Library. It is a bit of a homecoming for me as I often went to that library as a teen. It’s been great to reconnect with so many people from where I grew up. It’s also a privilege to be leading one of the best public libraries in Maine. It looks like I’ve put retirement off again for a number of years. When I’m not working, I can often be found on Facebook connecting with friends and family. One of those friends is Connie Hogan. I know that Connie leads a very busy life now that she’s a retired General Motors lobbyist. So I asked Connie just what keeps her on her toes these days. She says she is “enjoying life as social butterfly extraordinaire on the Detroit Bloomfield Hills social scene in Michigan.” She serves as president of the International Visitors Council of Metropolitan Detroit, the official protocol host for the Department of State exchanges from embassies abroad and their consular corps. In this capacity, she travels frequently to Washington DC, keeping her in the loop from her days as a GM lobbyist. In addition, Connie serves on several animal welfare nonprofit boards, her true passion. She is on the advisory board of an upstart organization called Concert Prodigy, dedicated to the guidance and nurturing of exceptional young musicians. As if this isn’t enough, she also is on staff at Bloomfield Hills Living magazine, as the society writer reporting the goings-on around her town, where she has lived since Notre Dame days, with her three cats: Gracie, Chenille and Berta Jean. I hope you will share what’s keeping you busy these days, whether you’re enjoying retirement or still fighting in the trenches. — Mamie Anthoine Ney; 350 Alewive Road, Kennebunk ME 04043-6013; res 207-229-0989; bus 207-333-6640 × 2020; irishwasherwoman@alumni.nd.edu
78JD Reunion 2013
It was a joyful gathering of our Class of 1978 during the 35th Reunion May 31 to June 2. The weekend began with an All-Class Reunion Mass in our law school’s chapel officiated by Rev. William R. Dailey, CSC. During the Mass, we specifically remembered classmates who have died since our last Reunion: Larry VonderHaar, John Cotter and Chris Marks. May they rest in peace. Our dinner on Friday evening gave us an opportunity to visit and share a table together. Joanne and Jerry Ross, Jim Masters, Nancy Quinlan, Doug Weimer, Jeanine Nemesi LaVille and Dan LaVille shared dinner and caught up on each other’s lives. In addition to our dinner, attendees had an opportunity to attend a fascinating presentation by Father (Dean) David Link in the law school courtroom about Atticus Finch and To Kill A Mockingbird. Other seminars included information about the making of the movie Rudy by the screenwriter and others involved behind the scenes. Just getting an opportunity to tour our beautiful new law school additions was a highlight of the Reunion and I strongly recommend it to all classmates. Let’s hope to be together again at our 40th Reunion in 2018. It was good to hear from Mike Grossman, who updated us about his career and family. He continues to serve as executive vice president, secretary and general counsel of Clark Material Handling Company, international producer of forklift trucks. He has been with Clark since graduating from ND Law, joining a staff of 18 lawyers at the worldwide headquarters in Buchanan MI just down the road from ND. Clark has been bought, sold and has moved a number of times since he joined the company 35 years ago, but it relocated permanently to the Bluegrass state a number of years ago. In May of this year he was elected president of the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, which serves the Jewish community in Lexington and central Kentucky. His wife, Kathy ’81MBA, recently retired from the U of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and in May was elected vice president of Ohavay Zion Synagogue in Lexington. Mike and Kathy have two sons: Andrew practices law in New York City and Jonathan is a musician with the band Uncle Lucius in Austin TX. Their daughter Elizabeth just graduated with honors from the U of Michigan Law School and will be working with the Department of Homeland Security. It was also good to visit with and hear from Nancy Quinlan, who reports that she started her career as a legal services attorney in Iowa. Following a move to Washington DC, she spent 24 years with Westlaw and now works at Cleary Gottlieb as a project attorney. She also enjoys a new part-time career as a residential organizer. Nancy and her husband, Phil, have two sons: Peter is an electrical engineer and Nicholas Jaffa ‘09 will receive a PhD in mechanical engineering from ND next year. Please take a minute to drop me a note to share what is happening in your life. — Dan LaVille; US Bankruptcy Court, One Division Avenue North, Room 200, Grand Rapids, MI 49503; bus 616-732-2751; dlaville@comcast.net
79 Attend Reunion 2014
Our 35th Reunion is scheduled for May 29 to June 1, 2014. Make your plans now and encourage classmates to attend. Remember, you can wear plaid pants with impunity; we’re now part of the generation of whom it is expected. Sheila ’80SMC and Steve Simmerman’s daughter Stefanie ‘05SMC married Seann McGinnis in March in Scottsdale AZ. Fellow Arizona residents Brad Newman, Amy (Rittenhouse) ’80SMC and Jim Kelly joined the celebration along with Sheila’s SMC classmates Cathy Murray VanTornhout and Cindy Daley Cooney. The bridesmaids included Nicole Bellino ’05SMC and Sarah Schwartz ’05SMC. Stefanie and Seann walked under a “Marry Like a Champion Today!” sign at the end of the ceremony. Also this spring, Sheila and Steve’s youngest son, Casey, graduated from Dominican U in River Forest IL with a degree in finance. He is searching for a job in Chicago. Steve continues to commute between Phoenix and Chicago as SVP of business development for TZA, based in Long Grove. Alumni Board Rep Don Wittgen reports that Richard Ryans is the board’s black alumni representative and Jim Zavertnik began his term as president-elect on July 1 while John Calcutt completed his term as president on June 30. Please remember Chris and Brian Bradford and their family in your prayers. Their son Drew died suddenly at age 29 in Chicago in June. Drew’s interests and talents were varied and exceptional. He was an aerial acrobat, a director of the Awesome Foundation of Chicago, a music lover and a computer whiz. Also remember and pray for the family of Mark Bonner, who died in April. — Barbara A. Langhenry; 3901 Whitman Ave., Cleveland OH 44113; res 216-651-8962; bus 216-664-2893; breclw@aol.com
79MBA Class Secretary — Patty Kennedy Kerr;
7750 Leonard St. NE, Ada MI 49301; 616-682-1223; kerrtaxcpa@gmail.com
79JD Class Secretary — Daniel F. McNeil;
1001 NW Lovejoy, Unit 205, Portland OR 97209; 503-539-9188; mcneil.daniel@gmail.com